Andy Dalton Rallies Bengals for OT Victory over Seahawks

CINCINNATI (AP) — Andy Dalton led Cincinnati from a 17-point deficit to a signature win, the kind they’ve rarely gotten in the past. One that showed this Bengals team is indeed in a different class.

The Bengals remained unbeaten by matching the second-biggest comeback in their history on Sunday, this one against the two-time defending NFC champions.

Mike Nugent’s 42-yard field goal bounced off the left upright, but went through for a 27-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Dalton’s fingerprints were all over it.

Trailing 24-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, he threw for a touchdown, ran for another and led the Bengals (5-0) on a 69-yard drive without a timeout. Nugent tied it with a 31-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.

Seattle (2-3) punted twice in overtime, giving the Bengals a chance to pull it out. Nugent’s deflection off the upright ended it with 3:36 left in overtime, leaving Cincinnati 5-0 for the first time since 1988, the last time it went to the Super Bowl.

It was the second time Cincinnati had overtime a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and won, according to STATS. The Bengals also did it at Baltimore in 2004 for a 27-26 victory. Cincinnati overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Arizona 24-21 in the 1997 season.

The 17-point collapse matched the biggest in Seattle history. The Seahawks also blew such games in 2003 against Baltimore and 2004 against St. Louis, losing in overtime as well.

The Seahawks looked to be in good shape after scoring a pair touchdowns during a 2-minute span of the third quarter. Undrafted rookie running back Thomas Rawls ran 69 yards for a touchdown, part of a career-best 169-yard game.

Bobby Wagner then returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown, handing a 24-7 lead to the NFL’s second-ranked defense. Unlike Monday night, when Kam Chancellor stripped the ball from Detroit’s Calvin Johnson to preserve a 13-10 win, it couldn’t come up with the big play at the end.

Dalton was 30 of 44 for 331 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a season-high four sacks. His 11-yard TD pass to Eifert on the game’s opening drive ended Seattle’s streak of 20 defensive possessions without allowing a touchdown.

That was all the Bengals managed until Dalton — who leads the NFL in fourth-quarter passer rating — started the big comeback.

Russell Wilson was 15 of 23 for 213 yards with a touchdown, a tipped interception and four sacks. His 30-yard pass to Jermaine Kearse was the first touchdown the Bengals had allowed before halftime this season.